The bill, H.R. 3585 - called the Solar Technology Roadmap Act - passed the House in October with a vote of 310-106. If approved by the Senate energy subcommittee, it would move to a vote in the Senate.
H.R. 3585 would create an 11-member committee that would advise the DOE and Congress on solar policy. The committee would be responsible for drafting a research and funding roadmap, which would be due no later than 18 months after the act is enacted. And the roadmap would be updated annually and revised at least once every three years.
Thirty percent of DOE solar funding in 2012 would be subject to the roadmap's guidelines; this would increase to 75 percent by 2015. And $350 million of DOE funds would be allocated to solar research in 2011, rising each year to a maximum of $550 million in 2015. The total outlay for research would be as much as $2.25 billion.
The bill would help "continue technological innovations and breakthroughs in the solar industry," the Solar Energy Industries Association said in October.
